


The Best Place in the World

by aDreamerEnigmatic



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Fluff and Smut, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-09
Updated: 2015-04-09
Packaged: 2018-03-22 00:53:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3709063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aDreamerEnigmatic/pseuds/aDreamerEnigmatic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Italy waxes poetic about an afternoon with Germany in their vacation home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Place in the World

The ride was long and boring after the radio stopped picking up the local stations and I had talked until I couldn’t think of another thing to say. I was itching to get out of the car and move around but I knew that with less than an hour to go there was no way Ludwig would want to stop. I’m sure he would, if I asked, but I wanted to impress him by making it all the way for once with only the scheduled stops. We were headed to a cottage we have in a secluded area of the Italian coast that doesn’t get a lot of tourism. Sometimes it’s nice to be among the people but when we get time to truly be alone I like it better when we aren’t in a bustling city. Even my Venice is too much for me then. I don’t know how we pulled it off but we both have two weeks to do whatever we please (assuming somebody doesn’t start a war or the global economy doesn’t crash). I’ve got no delusions as to whether or not Ludwig will actually spend his time off not working. He’s brought the laptop and I know he’ll probably try to sneak in some work when he thinks I’m not looking. Gilbert can handle it while he’s gone, though. I’ll remind him when he worries. Lovino pretended to be grumpy but I know he didn’t mind taking over my responsibilities while I’m on holiday. He knows I’ll repay the favor anytime he wants. I settled for watching the trees and planning what I would cook for dinner as we wound our way through the countryside. Ludwig reached over and laced our fingers together, giving me one of his rare, blindingly beautiful smiles.  I kissed his hand and he, I swear it, he giggled. His laughter died away and we shared the rest of the ride in comfortable silence. I held his hand with both of mine. We finally, finally, finally pulled into the drive. The little house sat among trees on a cliff overlooking the sea. It has been one of my favorite places for a long time. I only come here with Ludwig.

                Quite a few years ago now I was looking for a place to hide away from the world where we could spend some time. We had been through a lot and I felt like we needed time, not only for us to reconnect and move forward in our relationship, but also to heal. War is hard, and it’s even harder on us that bear not only our own hardships and regrets, but those of our people as well. I found our little house absolutely by accident. I was supposed to be meeting with a real estate broker and took a wrong turn. I ended up in the village not far away and asked for directions to a “house for sale near here.” They sent me up the hill. I didn’t know it wasn’t the house I had an appointment to see but I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the one I was going to buy. I don’t know what exactly drew me in at first. It was in bad shape and the yard was in shambles. I felt connected to it, I suppose, or maybe the artist in me saw what it could be instead of what it was. Anyway, I bought it later that week out of personal funds I had collected over the years (I didn’t tell my boss about it). I had no idea how to complete the repairs that needed to be done but I knew Ludwig would know. I also knew he needed a project that had nothing to do with his government or his people. Sometimes we have to take care of the innermost parts of ourselves before we are able to take care of our people. I have to remind Lud of this more than anybody I know. It took the better part of a month to convince him to come see it. He wasn’t optimistic at all. He complained that he was better with engines and cars and airplanes and other things that move, but I could see him working out the problem in his head even if his mouth said it couldn’t be done. We spent the night in a hostel in the village and he kissed me for the first time. It wasn’t the first time we had shared kisses, but it was the first time he had ever kissed me first. It felt like a huge milestone.

                After that he came every time he had a chance to work on our little house. I never called it mine, because the truth is that I bought it to share with Ludwig. I never once thought to go alone. Mercifully, the foundation of the house was intact but that seemed to be the only thing that really was. There was a hole in the roof and, as a result, parts of the inside needed to be completely rebuilt. The shutters were hanging loose or missing completely and the porch was sagging. Ludwig took one problem at a time and slowly rebuilt everything. He did it all himself, except for the few times that I actually could be helpful. I’m pretty good with my hands but not strong enough to do most of the work that needed to be done. Mostly I kept him company while he worked. It took almost two years to get everything done. The first night we spent in it we only had a few blankets I had thought to grab at the last minute while packing. We made a little nest right on the bedroom floor. I count it in the top ten best nights of my life.

He put me in charge of the interior. I picked earth tones. I feel like they are the colors of Italy itself (I guess that’s why I like them so much). The kitchen is a lovely shade of green that makes me happy every time I see it.  The gray slate kitchen tiles give way to richly stained oak floors (Lud insisted on oak. I was happy with pine). The living room is an inviting shade of brown that the store called “otter.” I’ve never seen an otter up close. I wonder if they really are that shade of brown. The bedroom that we turned into a studio is a nice shade of burnt orange. It really is a little overwhelming for the room (for the whole house, really) but it helps me think and lends a cheerful air to my clutter of stacked canvasses and containers of paints, brushes, pencils and scraps. We keep the door to that room closed, mostly. Our bedroom is my favorite. It sits on the front corner of the house and has windows on two walls so when the sun hits it just right it positively glows. I painted the walls mushroom.

It took a long time to collect all the furniture we have now. We picked out a bed and a kitchen table together (there isn’t a dining room; the house is too small) but the rest we brought from other houses or picked out in markets along the way. It is a wonderful mix of the two of us. Lud’s armchair from the flat in Munich, my rug from the house in Venice. Paintings, mostly that I did, but some that he picked. The clock from Berlin. The leather sofa from Rome. One of the biggest fights Lovino and I have ever had was over that sofa. I finally trusted him with the secret of our little house and he gave in, eventually, and let me have it.  All the kitchen things are things I brought. All our favorite books are here. We chose things we felt connected to. Now they connect us to each other. It’s my favorite place in the whole world.

We split the cost of a service to keep the house clean and orderly. We don’t get to come as regularly as we’d like so it cuts down on the amount of work we have to do to get it ready to live in once we’re here. I think Ludwig agreed so we don’t argue over his version of clean and my version of clean. Trust me, they’re different.

After we unloaded our luggage from the car and got it unpacked we walked down to the village to buy groceries and supplies. It was a little far, but after being cooped up in the car for so long I felt like I could walk to the moon and back and not get tired. He let me hold his hand as we walked through town. We went in and out of shops collecting yummy things like pasta, fresh vegetables, and spices that I was low on, practical things like paper towels and washing up liquid, an impulse purchase (a cheesy movie that we could watch and make fun of together. We have a growing collection of silly, cheesy movies), and exciting, sexy things. Lud says it would be more practical to bring the things we’ll need with us, and he’s probably right, but I think it’s more fun to buy it when we get here. It builds anticipation. Nothing kinky, not here (not that there’s anywhere to buy that kind of stuff here anyway), but sexy nonetheless. Lube, massage oil, things like that. But not condoms. I made Lud promise. When we’re here I get to feel all of him. It’s not even like he’s worried about spreading diseases. We don’t have to worry about that as nations; we don’t get sick or carry diseases the same way humans do. No, he just doesn’t want to be messy. It gets so old sometimes. So we struck a deal. I’ll put up with a condom anywhere but here. Here it’s just him and me.

We finished our shopping and I paled at the thought of the long walk back with all our purchases, but I tried my best not to complain too much. I was the one who didn’t want to ride in the car in the first place. I only expressed my discomfort when we were halfway there, even though I was sick of the walk not long after we started back. Lud laughed at me good naturedly and offered to carry me and the groceries. I know he would have done it, too, but I’m not that selfish. I was tired and a little grumpy when we got home (I refuse to call it anything else; this house feels more like home than any of my other places) and after putting everything away Lud made some tea. I usually like coffee but he said tea was better for grumpy Italians (I think he made that up). I haven’t spent much time learning about tea blends but I liked whatever this one was. It was soothing, with what tasted like orange undertones and whether he made it up or not he was right. The tea did make me feel better. He disappeared for a few minutes and I reclined against the arm of the sofa while I sipped my tea. Ludwig reappeared a few minutes later and lifted my feet into his lap as he sat on the other end of the sofa.

I had removed my shoes as we came in earlier and had been walking around in my socks which he was now removing. I almost protested; I don’t like it very much when he plays with my feet. Before I could say anything, though, I realized he wasn’t interested in my toes (thankfully) and he gave me the best foot rub I have ever had. Any protests I had died out the minute he began working on me and I’m embarrassed to say that I probably made too much noise. I decided right there that I needed to ask him for a back rub before we left. When he finished, he kissed my toes and I didn’t even complain. If toe kissing came with a foot rub like that all the time I’d let him do it more often. He took my empty cup to the kitchen and I followed him, putting my arms around him from behind and lifting up on my toes to kiss behind his ear. He turned around and met me with a kiss on the mouth. God, I love his kisses. He picked me up as he kissed me and I was intoxicated by the motion. I very much like it when he shows off how strong he is.  I ran my hands through his hair, making sure every bit was pulled free from the gel.  I’m not sure how long we stood there, my legs around his waist, one of his hands under my backside, the other splayed across my back, lips and tongues moving together. It wasn’t hurried, or desperate. Eventually he broke the kiss, not because we needed air (I taught him a long time ago how to breathe through his nose while he kissed me) but because he wanted to look at me, a question in his eyes even though he knew the answer. I moved my hands out of his hair and down to his shoulders. “Bedroom, Luddi?”

“I actually had a different destination in mind,” low laughter followed, his eyes lust darkened and sparkling. He didn’t even protest when I forgot and called him by his least favorite nickname. I wondered where he could possibly mean. There was only one bed and we agreed after one turn on the table never to do it there again.

“Okay,” I said hesitantly as he moved toward the bathroom. I really wasn’t expecting the tub to be full of bubbles. I’ve never explicitly told Lud that I enjoy bubble baths but he’s figured it out all the same.  He sat me on my feet and leaned in for a short kiss as he began to undo the buttons on my shirt. I rubbed his arms as he did.

“You’re going to join me, right?”

More of that throaty laughter. “Yes.”

I helped him out of his shirt and we took care of the rest of our clothing on our own. He picked me up again and stepped deftly into the tub. He lowered us into the water and I practically moaned over how good the water felt. I settled between his legs and kissed him again, deep and slow with a hint of teeth. He likes it when I bite him. He’s never said so, but I can tell by the way his breathing hitches and if I’m lucky he’ll breathe out with the barest hint of voice behind it.  He broke the kiss and gently turned me around to sit in front of him. He kissed the spot just behind my ear that feels so good and began rubbing my shoulders. He worked his way down my back, pulling obscene moans from me as he soothed my tired muscles. I could tell the angle was awkward for him to work with but he was doing a magnificent job anyway.  He kneaded my muscles until I could have melted and gone down the drain with the bathwater. Eventually his lips replaced his hands on my shoulders and he kissed up my neck until he reached my ear. I turned around to sit on my knees so I could kiss him properly. His hands are everywhere when we’re together like that. In my hair, down my back, one on my hip and one cradling my face as we kiss. I lost track of exactly where he was touching as he caressed my body until he rearranged us so that I was sitting on his lap. I draped my arms over his shoulders and leaned against him, kissing his neck. He moved so that he could kiss me on the mouth, effectively shutting down my efforts to give him a love bite. I’ve only gotten to do it once. He’s stopped my every time I’ve attempted it since but it doesn’t stop me from trying anyway. As he kissed me he reached between us, using those talented hands on me so that I was a mess. I was talking to him, but I think it was in Italian and I’m not sure it was complete sentences. I asked him once if I talked too much during sex. He said no, but I can’t quite believe him even though his eyes were sincere. I always talk too much. I reached for him while he was taking care of me and kissed him again while I did. I think Lud likes my hands as much as I like his. I get the most delicious sounds out of him when I touch him. I finished first and as I helped him find his end he whispered the sweetest things in Italian. He tells me these things regularly but it just feels different when he says them in my language, even if it is a bit too harsh in his accent. Afterwards, I didn’t want to move but the water was no longer warm and wasn’t comfortable anymore. He lifted me out of the bath and set me upright on the bathmat. I handed him a towel and, to my surprise, he took it and went into the bedroom.  I figured he wanted clean clothes but when I followed him he pulled me on the bed, saying that he was tired and we should nap. I know he wasn’t tired, he never naps during the day, but I wasn’t about to complain. I love snuggling up to him, but it really is most enjoyable when neither of us are wearing clothes. His skin is amazing and I love the feel of his muscles against me.  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. He began to sing a lullaby in German and I drifted off to the sound of his singing.

 I woke up later still cuddled close to Ludwig. He was leaning against the pillows reading a book. I don’t know where he got it; it wasn’t there before. I’m a really heavy sleeper so it wouldn’t have surprised me to find out he got it out of his luggage and got back in bed without waking me up. I had just decided I wanted to watch him read but he noticed that I was awake and put it down. “I want to draw you while we’re here,” I said as he leaned down for a kiss. He made me promise once not to paint him nude. Apparently he feels safer with things like that in my sketchbook and not on canvass. I’m not too put out by it. I mean, I’d love to paint him, but I don’t want to do anything that makes him uncomfortable. He fidgeted with my hair before answering me.

“When?”

“Can I do it now? I love to watch you read. You could keep reading your book and pretend that I’m not even here.”

“Oh, yes, because I always read in bed naked,” He grumbled. “I doubt I’ll be able to pretend you aren’t looking at me.” I waited. I knew if I looked at him long enough he’d give in. Apparently I have “puppy dog eyes.” Whatever works, I suppose.  “I’ll let you if I can put some pants on.”

“No! You can cover up, but no pants. And you have to cover up the way I tell you to.”

“Fine,” he grumbled again. Sometimes I think his default setting is “grumble.”  I pulled on a pair of jeans and dashed to get my sketchbook and pencils, halfway afraid he would change his mind and get up while I was gone. He was arranging the blanket when I got back. He had a pretty good idea of what I wanted, so I only fussed with it for a minute as an excuse to touch him. I made him leave one leg out and raise his knee so he could rest his elbow on it while he read. He looked at me skeptically for a minute and leaned back, taking his elbow off his knee in favor of resting against the headboard. I pretended to grumble about him moving around but didn’t tell him I liked what he did better than what I had in mind. He opened his book and I opened my sketchbook and began working. We spent a while in silence before he asked, “Can I see it yet?” He turned the page.

“Hush. You’re reading.” Honestly.

“Surely you’re nearly finished.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re losing patience,” I said playfully as I looked at him over the edge of the book. “Besides, the longer I get to look at you the more ideas I get for later,” Ludwig’s blush came easily as he picked up on the innuendo. I giggled as something seemed to suddenly catch his eye in his book. He was right, I was almost finished, and I didn’t wait much longer to tell him so. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and stretched (have I mentioned how absolutely gorgeous that man is?) before going in search of clothes. I left the sketchbook open to the drawing I had just finished and found my shirt. “Feli, I don’t look like this.” I looked up from my suitcase at the foot of the bed (we’d unpack later) to see him looking at the portrait as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Are you insulting my drawing abilities?”

“Never. I think you added some things. This person looks a little like me but… better.”

“I think you need to check out a mirror before dinner,” I said standing and crossing the room to put my arms around him. “You are so attractive,” I whispered in his ear. He blushed again as I stood on my toes and kissed him on the cheek.

I asked if he was ready for dinner and he, of course, answered yes. Lud never turns down my cooking. I put on an apron and I made him wear one, too, just because he looks sexy in it. I charged him with locating all the ingredients while I prepped the stove and pans. I let him chop and slice while I did the actual mixing and cooking. We bought dried pasta from the shop. It’s not quite as good as homemade but it saves me loads of time. I put it in the pot with the chicken stock and tomatoes and covered it to let it finish. I love the way we’ve learned to move together in the kitchen. I’ll tell Lud the ingredients to prepare, and he has memorized how I like them to look before they go into the pan. It was really fun teaching him how to get everything just right for my dishes. He knows how they all go together, too, but insists that they taste better when I do the actual cooking. We learned that dance in this kitchen.  He chopped and I sautéed, we called each other the pet names we always do when we’re alone (and one really memorable time in front of Lud’s boss).

I finished up while Lud set the table. We talked about all the things we hadn’t earlier and eventually he reached out to grab my hand. He looked at my fingers (he says he loves how long they are) and when he looked back up the desire there nearly made my heart stop. He leaned over the table to give me a too short kiss and I was tempted to suggest leaving everything where it was for the evening but before I could say anything, Lud let go of me and left the table to begin clearing away our things. Working together, it didn’t take long to clean up. I was about to offer him another glass of wine when he leaned over and whispered in my ear, voice so low it was nearly a growl, “Ready for round two?”

“Oh my God, yes,” I said and I pulled him in the direction of the bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't know why I spent so much time with the paint (except that Feli cares about color SO much so it felt right).  
> Paint color guide:  
> Otter (living room): http://low.es/1aMjOB7  
> Mushroom (bedroom): http://low.es/1Grlih8  
> Green (kitchen): http://low.es/1GNxur7  
> Burnt Orange (Feli's studio): http://low.es/1y70jx5


End file.
